There is so much out there in the world that I could only dream of witnessing, and may or not ever get the chance. The furthest (or farthest?) I’ve been from home was in Florida way back when I was four years old. I’ve never been outside the country and the chances of that ever happening are very slim unless I won the lottery tomorrow and persuaded my family to get over their fear of flying in planes.

But in the realm of fantasy, I can always go on any adventure I want. The imagination is powerful enough to place you in a distant land and act out a story.

There are five places on the radar that catch my interest:

California – just to get a glimpse, even a sniff, of Hollywood life would be sensational, and I might catch sight of some stars while traversing over the famed walk and feeling like a fish out of water. Lying on a beach, actual California sand, and looking out at the Pacific Ocean, would trump all other places I’ve been so far. Eating authentic Pinks hotdogs, maybe attending a taping of a late night talk show. I would like to take a trip through Silicon Valley and google something from my smartphone while standing next to the Googleplex. This is all dreaming, of course.

Scotland – this is presumably where my ancestors originated, the Hammell name and all of its variations (seems to be of Norman origin, from a place called “Haineville” or “Henneville” and hawthorn, go here for the full details or use the site to check out your own name). To go back and maybe see people who resemble me would be inspirational or just funny. It’s stereotypical for people to think of Scots playing bagpipes when Scotland is mentioned, and this is true, but the country is a lot more developed beyond just that. I’ve never been much into golf and have never played it, but being in the place where it was created would thrill me. St. Andrews is the one place I would be sure to visit, as well as Loch Ness, namesake of the monster, Glasgow the largest city, and Edinburgh the capital and home to the Edinburgh Castle. Scotch whiskey and Scotch tape also were invented here. The famous Stonehenge is also around this area.

New York – I would like to be in Times Square on New Years Eve.

India – the most populated country in the world, the epicenter of human activity, where many bloggers are from. One of the richest countries in the world. I’d finally get a ride on a rickshaw and try some of that falafel.

Outerspace – okay, I’ll be reasonable…this has a .01% chance of happening but it is fun to dream of being one of the few handful of humans out of billions to have escaped the atmosphere of Earth. It would make me realize just how small we are in comparison to the rest of the universe. To look out at the blue marble through a space window and know that you are representing over seven billion people in a rare opportunity – maybe a scene from Gravity could be acted out while I’m up there.

Tomorrow’s just your future yesterday. Your future is being written all the time; when you were six years old in a past present time, you probably wondered what your 25 year old self would be like in the future, and then that day comes and it is the present and you are still wondering about the future. The future never comes, we are merely walking toward it every minute of the day while still being tied to the present which is always becoming the past.

Some of the bricks to that always nearing future I’m building have already been put in place. I’ve been to college, four years of it shared between two schools, and graduated with an Associate degree which is better than no degree. I was going to go back, maybe get into culinary school to get some much needed training for restaurant jobs, but the thought seems to be slipping away and I haven’t even gotten my application in, let alone a dorm plan, by the time the new semester begins. Now I have student loans to pay back that are overdue and taking a hit to my credit score I had no idea existed until now. Great Lakes, the loan provider, expects me to pay them back, but I still haven’t even found a job and my modest amount of cash from plasma sure isn’t going to cut it.

I’ve started a blog/website and am continuing to work on it, developing some savvy writing skills and getting in touch with my inner self. I have found a way to exorcise my demons, a way to get rid of the doubts and find my true passion. I’ve found new and innovative ways to show off my creative skills, which can sometimes be a little misunderstood and rough around the edges.

I always knew I had a budding writing talent within but until now, there didn’t seem to be any viable career path for it. Sure, I was good at writing school essays and organizing my info into nice little paragraphs, but if anyone told me I’d be sitting here today writing down my personal thoughts and trying to tell a story, I’d say they were crazy. I would have thought it would be very boring and tedious, not to mention lonely because I’d most likely have no help since no one close to me would have any knowledge or interest in blog writing. Even I didn’t at first, trying my hand at YouTube before ending up here. Now fast forwarding a few years after high school and to this point in time has taught me that hobbies and interests sometimes like to develop overtime and will surprise you.

If I could go into the future like my heroes Marty McFly and Doc Brown, past their poorly predicted 2015, I would be curious to see how far I have gotten with blogging and if anything successful has come out of it, like a book or even a sitcom. I’d be very excited and surprised to see that gleaming Freshly Pressed badge displayed somewhere and telling me that what I have done has a real purpose to it, like putting a bow on a present, but as of now I keep those expectations way on the down low.

Of course, I wouldn’t want to see myself working at McDonald’s 30 years down the road which isn’t likely since they don’t usually hire anyone above the age of 30 or with any career goals, but if hard times fall on me and that is a crucial option, I’ll meet it with open arms.

I’d like to see if I’m married or not and where I am living. I’d hope my eventual high paying engineering job would get me a house in Florida or at least by a lake with a pontoon.

I’d like to finally have a driver’s license and be able to have the freedom of the road.

I’d like to be relaxing on a beach in California, having officially retired from whatever I have been doing for the last couple of decades.

I’d like to have become a world class writer and have a number of books published. I’d like to have my work featured on multiple websites and TV.

I’m more curious to see how technology will have progressed. What will the Internet look like? Will Google have finally taken over the entire web, dominating our lives in every way possible? How huge will YouTube have become by the time the 50th U.S. president is elected? Will PewDiePie still be on top, eventually having enough power to split off into his own rival video site, PewTube (not the church’s version) all of his “Bros” helping to finally take over the Internet?

It’s interesting to know what I and the world around me is going to become. All I can say now is that I’m happy I have a place to live and my parents who still love and care about me. When they are gone, I will be a little sad and might have difficulty adjusting to the sudden responsibility put on me and life’s downward spiral that would totally ensue, but I know I’d make it through because I have perseverance and a strong will. I could do with a little bit of humor everyday to keep me moving and there’s a lot of that to go around.

I’ve always been told to hand write a thank you letter (note being the more proper term) every time my aunt, uncle, and little cousin from California send me a card and money (capped off at $20 now) on my birthday. I’ve done this ever since I was at least six (when I was aware of my existence for the first time). It’s a nice gesture but I wish my old-fashioned relatives would get with the times and just have me send a Facebook message or text them my thank you. They aren’t even on Facebook and I haven’t seen them since the 2009 family reunion, which felt so cold. To waste a whole sheet of paper for just two or three short sentences of my appreciation is ridiculous. To mail it across the country with a postage stamp even more. And what do my uber rich relatives do with all the notes I send them? Do they save them or crinkle them up after their use is over? Do they have a drawer dedicated to all of my thank you notes dating all the way back to the time I was in grade school? Writing one seems so childish now, especially when my dad implores me to do so. I’m 24 but I feel like 8 when I write it, having to put down the same cheesy sounding sentences, capped off by a “Love, Me” closing.

Of course, handwriting something makes it more personal and thoughtful. I’m not talking through a computer when I hand write, I am trying to actually talk with a person. Writing those notes to my distant relatives is like keeping in check and telling that I still think about them and really wish I could see them again someday. They do know that I appreciate everything they give me, but seeing a physical message has more value and meaning. The power of the pen/pencil touching the paper and my thoughts being transferred down has a meditative effect on me. I actually feel mentally stronger afterward, if that’s even possible.

I feel like I do need to practice my penmanship more often, to get away from typing on the computer. The conveniences of having a keyboard and being able to write really fast have spoiled me to the point where I don’t even want to pick up a writing utensil anymore. I used to write in a physical journal before my days of blogging, writing down my daily activities and any important events such as holidays and birthdays. Now, I haven’t written in it since the Seahawks/Broncos debacle of a Super Bowl, enjoying the pleasures of fast paced blogging and being able to get my thoughts out in quicker fashion (and with more structure and reason – having all of you being able to read it!).

My extended family is stuck in the stone age and I’m okay with that. At least they can send a text message now. I guess they’re afraid of Facebook and social media altogether, which is actually a good thing, since it does nothing to make you feel less lonely. And you basically sell your soul to the Internet by posting things.

Recently, I’ve been thinking about writing a post about things I would like to accomplish in life before it expires someday. It has come to my attention that there is so much I have never done yet, so much of this world to explore for me. I have created a rough, pending bucket list of the different sights, sounds, and activities I wish to witness. Some are within my grasp, while some might require some blood, sweat, and tears (and money) to complete. Hopefully I’m not about to kick the actual bucket like Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson when these come into play.

My dream list, in no particular order:

Buy a new camera, preferably a Nikon or Canon, the professional photographers choice.

Learn a new language

Fly in an airplane – and then skydive out of one

Learn to juggle

Pet an alligator (with its mouth unrestrained)

Go to California

Visit Washington D.C., walk by the White House gate

Go to Paris, get a perspective shot of the Eiffel Tower

Spot the Google Streetcar on one of its rounds

Get front row tickets to a concert of my favorite band

Write a letter to the President of the United States

Visit Mount Rushmore, Mount Everest, and Mount St. Helens

Have at least one video on YouTube that gets over 1,000,000 views

Win the lottery

Visit all 50 states

Visit all the Canadian providences

Win the PCH “Money for Life” sweepstakes (better than winning the lottery)

Start my own business

Photograph a tornado

Photograph a lightning bolt

Sip champagne in a limo

Read the entire Bible

Be in Times Square on New Years Eve (I fibbed about this on Facebook once)

Go scuba diving

Visit Africa

Accomplish most of this bucket list, or just laugh out loud at its absurdity

Most of these were thought off the top of my head, while some were inspired by ones featured on bucketlist.org. I may be crazy to think all, if any, of these will be possible, but it’s better to dream big than to not dream at all. I believe the thing to creating a bucket list is to fantasize enough but keep realism in check, going with ideas in your head that you know are the most sensible. Probably the most important one on here is winning the lottery, followed closely by Times Square, visiting all 50 states, and skydiving.

Feel free to comment if you have something worth discussing on your personal bucket list.